Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- The Utah Asian Festival in Salt Lake City on Saturday celebrates the state's diverse Asian community.
- Over 60 performances, 30 food vendors and 70 booths will be featured.
- Organizers aim to promote unity within the Asian hostility and cross-cultural understanding.
SALT LAKE CITY — The annual Utah Asian Festival returns to Salt Lake City, showcasing the diverse community and underscoring the travails of many of its members in reaching the state.
Organizers dub the event the longest-running Asian festival in the United States, with more than 60 scheduled performances by traditional and contemporary groups, more than 30 food vendors and 70-plus community and artisan booths. The event Saturday at the Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1000 West in Salt Lake City, goes from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Though entry is free, parking at the fairgrounds costs $15.
"The growth of the festival exploded recently thanks to an influx of younger volunteer organizers. They share the founders' unwavering commitment to uplifting our many cultures, but have brought with them novel ideas propelling the festival to new heights as a grand celebration for the entire state," said Margaret Yee, a founder of the original event.
The event aims to promote unity within the diverse Asian community in Utah and cross-cultural understanding. Manuel Camu, co-chairman of the festival, referenced hostility some in the Asian community have faced of late.
"When I learned that the festival originated as an attempt to unify the various Asian ethnic groups, I felt it was my duty to continue the mission, especially in the midst of resurgent anti-Asian violence and discrimination," he said in a statement.
Gechlang Ear, the festival co-chairwoman, noted the roots of many in the community as refugees and asylum-seekers. More than 120,000 Asians in all live in Utah, event organizers estimate.
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Multicultural Utah
Looking for more news about the different cultures that call Utah home? Visit our Multicultural Utah section for more stories, events and features."This celebration is important to us because we believe in the Utah that isn't celebrated enough — the Utah that is home to over 60,000 asylum-seekers and thousands more, like myself, who have come from far-away lands but take pride in calling this place our refuge," she said.
The festival is an initiative of the Asian Association of Utah, which serves Asian immigrants and refugees.
